“Mark’s outstanding contributions to Ironwood, including his expertise,
leadership and superb judgment, are invaluable as we move our R&D
efforts forward, growing our active pipeline and expanding our
development efforts globally on behalf of our shareholders and the
patients we aim to serve,” said Peter Hecht, chief executive officer of
Ironwood. “Mark’s pioneering academic research on the guanylate
cyclase-C (GC-C) pathway, including his discovery of the natural
hormones that activate GC-C, established the foundation for the
discovery of linaclotide by Ironwood scientists, and he has led every
aspect of linaclotide’s development and regulatory review, resulting in
LINZESS™ (linaclotide) being the first and only GC‐C agonist approved in
the U.S., Constella® (linaclotide) being the first therapy
approved for patients with IBS-C in Europe, and linaclotide development
programs advancing in Japan and China.”

Dr. Currie has led the company’s R&D efforts since he joined Ironwood in
2002 and previously served as senior vice president, R&D and CSO at
Ironwood. Prior to that, he directed cardiovascular and central nervous
system disease research as vice president of discovery research at
Sepracor Inc. Previously, Dr. Currie initiated, built, and led discovery
pharmacology and also served as director of arthritis and inflammation
at Monsanto Company. Dr. Currie earned a B.S. in biology from the
University of South Alabama and holds a Ph.D. in cell biology from the
Bowman-Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University.

About Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: IRWD) is an entrepreneurial
pharmaceutical company dedicated to the art and science of great
drugmaking. Ironwood is located in Cambridge, Mass. To learn more, visit www.ironwoodpharma.com.